2008 Woodie Awards
American Idiot for Dummies
Joshua Shinefield
Issue date: 8/31/05 Section: Arts & Culture
Touring through Washington D.C., New Jersey, Philadelphia, and up to Boston, Green Day is once again performing their album "American Idiot" for audiences. The so-called brilliant story they supposedly imbedded into their highly praised album "American Idiot" begs an obvious question: What exactly is the story?
If one reads the lyrics, one will find that songs like St. Jimmy and Jesus of Suburbia are no more than strings of loosely developed ideas composing an equally pointless story. If one can bear to figure it out, the story goes as follows: Jesus of Suburbia is angry about something - American Culture? When he meets St. Jimmy, Jimmy tells Jesus something about killing the pain (Give Me Novocain). Then there's the character Whatshername who is so irrelevant that her name might as well be Ihavenoideawhatimdoinghere. Why does Green Day try to pass off a bunch of excellent songs - that could easily all be unrelated singles - as an awful excuse for a comprehensive story?
Take the song "American Idiot." Billy Joe Armstrong is clearly saying that he would rather be a homosexual than a redneck. "Well maybe I'm the faggot America. I'm not a part of a redneck agenda," Armstrong sings. But we are left to wonder: Who are these rednecks that impose their agenda upon us? No doubt Armstrong refers to the government, headed by none other than a Texas redneck.
Could Green Day's poor attempt at a story be merely a blockade for them to hide behind? After all, Billy Joe isn't saying that he hates Republicans. Those are words of a disillusioned teenager who thinks that he is Jesus.
Sure it sounds unlikely, but is there another explanation to the misfit Jesus of Suburbia? No. Green Day is just afraid. They're too scared to come out straight and say that they hate Republicans. After all, their audience isn't entirely Democratic. Or alternatively, they are too stupid to come up with a logical, coherent story. Go ahead and listen to them, but please, don't try and say that they are brilliant because of their lame story. They aren't.
If one reads the lyrics, one will find that songs like St. Jimmy and Jesus of Suburbia are no more than strings of loosely developed ideas composing an equally pointless story. If one can bear to figure it out, the story goes as follows: Jesus of Suburbia is angry about something - American Culture? When he meets St. Jimmy, Jimmy tells Jesus something about killing the pain (Give Me Novocain). Then there's the character Whatshername who is so irrelevant that her name might as well be Ihavenoideawhatimdoinghere. Why does Green Day try to pass off a bunch of excellent songs - that could easily all be unrelated singles - as an awful excuse for a comprehensive story?
Take the song "American Idiot." Billy Joe Armstrong is clearly saying that he would rather be a homosexual than a redneck. "Well maybe I'm the faggot America. I'm not a part of a redneck agenda," Armstrong sings. But we are left to wonder: Who are these rednecks that impose their agenda upon us? No doubt Armstrong refers to the government, headed by none other than a Texas redneck.
Could Green Day's poor attempt at a story be merely a blockade for them to hide behind? After all, Billy Joe isn't saying that he hates Republicans. Those are words of a disillusioned teenager who thinks that he is Jesus.
Sure it sounds unlikely, but is there another explanation to the misfit Jesus of Suburbia? No. Green Day is just afraid. They're too scared to come out straight and say that they hate Republicans. After all, their audience isn't entirely Democratic. Or alternatively, they are too stupid to come up with a logical, coherent story. Go ahead and listen to them, but please, don't try and say that they are brilliant because of their lame story. They aren't.